The Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), on Thursday, opposed the further court trial of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
The organization stated that it was standing by the verdict of the Appeal Court in Abuja on October 13, 2022, which discharged and acquitted Kanu of all charges brought against him by the Federal Government.
Kanu has been detained by the Department of State Services since 2021 after being arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria.
On December 15, 2023, the Supreme Court approved his trial on terrorism allegations brought against him by the Federal Government and remanded the case to the High Court, with a hearing scheduled for February 8, 2024.
However, the FG failed to appear in court, forcing the matter to be adjourned.
IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful, in a statement on Thursday, said, “Sadly, the same federal government that is prosecuting Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is refusing to make an appearance at the same Abuja High Court hearing on February 8, 2024.
“The refusal of the Federal Government to appear in court on that day for continuation of their trial is evident that they do not have a case against Kanu.
“We stand by the judgment of the Appeal Court, which ordered that our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, should not be tried again in any Nigerian court. The Supreme Court judges agreed with them but lacked the courage and integrity to uphold the appeals court judgment.
“IPOB leadership has reviewed the actions of the Federal Government and the judiciary and rejected further trials of our leader in the High Court. They know very well that they have no case against him.
“The FG is just utilizing the weak instrumentality of the law in Nigeria to detain and persecute Kanu indefinitely. The wicked persecution of Kanu and other innocent IPOB members will continue to destroy Nigeria’s image locally and internationally.”
The pro-Biafran agitators urged President Bola Tinubu to release Kanu unconditionally “because self-determination is lawful domestically and internationally.”.
“We are interested in the self-preservation of Biafrans from marauding terrorists. Biafra liberation is a divine project that not even former President Muhammadu Buhari nor anyone else can stop its actualization.
“IPOB has come to restore Biafra, and it is either Biafra or Biafra. That is our oath of allegiance to the Biafra Nation and our oath of honour to all those who have fallen in the course of our match to freedom,” the group added.
